Updated 06:42 p.m., Friday, May 11, 2012

May is Historic Preservation Month, and the city’s Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) has arranged a great variety of events. Log on to the OHP’s website (www.sanantonio.gov/historic) to learn more about guided walking and running tours, preservation races for children and adults, photo contests, green lifestyle forums, seminars about midcentury modern design and a compelling documentary connecting sustainable architecture and historic preservation.

This community outreach and education is part of a larger goal of the OHP and the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) to better prepare the community for understanding preservation efforts and how those might affect their specific property or the community as a whole. Better understanding of preservation and the HDRC process makes for more predictable outcomes for homeowners wanting to upgrade their homes and predictable outcomes for developers looking to develop downtown.

All exterior improvements to designated properties and properties in historic districts must be reviewed by the OHP staff and gain approval of the HDRC. Homeowners proposing maintenance or repairs such as exterior painting with same colors or repair of damaged materials with like materials need only to secure a repair and maintenance approval from the OHP staff, and recent changes allow the OHP staff to now approve many of these and other minor changes administratively, so applicants do not have to appear before the commission.

Applicants with more substantial changes may request meeting with smaller committees of the larger HDRC commission in order to have intimate dialog regarding the proposed improvements.

Applicants need to provide construction documents that clearly describe in detail the work to be completed. The scope of these documents will vary greatly depending on the complexity of the work proposed. More complex projects might require the use of an architect with experience in preservation of historic structures or development of appropriate new additions to historic structures.

The OPH staff and the HDRC are guided by the secretary of the interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Design Guidelines adopted by City Council for specific districts. Homeowners can access these documents on the OHP website to better understand the goals of historic preservation.

The most successful applications are coordinated with the guidelines, thoughtfully developed and clearly prepared.

Keep in mind that windows are considered character-defining features of historic buildings and all efforts should be made to repair historic windows whenever possible. If the windows are beyond repair, the guidelines suggest replacement with in-kind material. Demolition of any designated structure or structure in a historic district will need to be carefully considered. If the structure is deemed to be historic or contributing to the historic district, then demolition likely would not be recommended.

Our community has a substantial cultural investment in its historic resources. This month especially, celebrate all that is historic San Antonio.

Timothy B. Cone is a licensed architect and currently serves as chairman of the City of San Antonio’s Historic and Design Review Commission.